An application of the multiple knapsack problem: The self-sufficient marine

Abstract

Self-Sufficiency (SS) is the ability to maintain capability without external support or aid. Operations in austere environments with limited functional infrastructure and logistical support, which are common in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief as well as military operations, must be self-sufficient. In this paper, we explore the challenges of SS in the United States Marine Corps (USMC). Marines engage in a wide variety of expeditionary operations, and must function without logistical support for long stretches of time. They face competing constraints, including the load that a squad can carry, mission requirements, resources required for sustainment, and the extent to which resources can be shared. We extend the knapsack problem in several ways to model a Marine squad's decisions regarding what items to carry and how to distribute them. The Office of Naval Research found the models and the results to be significant as baseline analysis for the resource demands of a self-sufficient squad. Though the data and scenarios are USMC-specific, the challenges of SS can be found in any expeditionary undertakings or operations in austere environments.